SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE AS AN INTEGRATED SUBJECT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE / ECONOMICS/SOCIOLOGY

Transcription

1 UNIT-5 SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE AS AN INTEGRATED SUBJECT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE / ECONOMICS/SOCIOLOGY STRUCTURE 5.0 Introduction 5.1 Learning objectives 5.2. Contents of Social and Political Life in Social Science at Elementary Stage Social and Political Life- A Component of Social Science at Elementary Stage Social and Political Life An integrated subject of Political science/ Economics/ Sociology Contents of Social and Political Life contributing to Social Science 5.3 Methods/Approaches adopted by Social Scientists in Political Science, Economics and Sociology Methods/approaches adopted by Social scientists in understanding Political science Methods/approaches adopted by Social scientists in understanding Economics Methods/approaches adopted by Social scientists in understanding Sociology 5.4 Importance of Social and Political Life as a part of Social Science Curriculum Significance of Social and Political Life as the part of Social Science curriculum Pedagogical principles of learning Social and Political Life : Social Science curriculum 5.5 Developing Lesson Plan for Teaching Social and Political Life aspect of Social Science curriculum 5.6. Let Us Sum Up 5.7 Glossary/Abbreviations 5.8 Answers to Check Your Progress 5.9 Suggested Readings and References 5.10 Unit-End Exercises 51

2 5.0 INTRODUCTION Social science curriculum at upper primary level basically includes three core components i.e. history, geography, and social and political life. In two units (i.e. Unit-3 and Unit-4) of this Block, you have read somewhat in detail about history and geography as the core areas of social science curriculum at upper primary stage. In this unit, you would learn about social and political life as one of the core areas of social science curriculum at upper primary stage. This unit will mainly acquaint you with these points: contents of social and political life in social science at elementary stage; methods/approaches adopted by social scientists in political science, economics and sociology; importance of social and political life The pictures used in this unit are taken from the Doctoral Dissertation of Tapan kumar Basantia (2006) as a part of social science curriculum; and developing lesson plan for teaching social and political life aspect of social science curriculum. In this unit, along with theoretical discussions, simulated project based experiences are cited in order to present social and political life as an integrated learning area of social science. 5.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After going through this unit, you will be able to: differentiate social and political life component from history and geography component of social science curriculum; justify social and political life as an integrated subject of political science/ economics/ sociology; identify content areas of social and political life in social science curriculum; describe the methods/approaches adopted by social scientists in understanding political science, economics and sociology; justify the significance of including social and political life a component of social science curriculum; illustrate the pedagogical principles of learning social and political life in social science curriculum. prepare lesson plan for teaching of social and political life inof social science curriculum. 52 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

3 5.2 CONTENTS OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE IN SOCIAL SCIENCE AT ELEMENTARY STAGE Learning of social science is as old as humanity itself. In ancient society there was not any formal and systematic learning of social science. Learning of social science was quite informal, personal and voluntary in nature. But, in the contemporary world learning of social science has become more formal and organized, due to the complexity of social system, explosion of knowledge, multiplicity of needs and demands etc. At the primary level social science is included in our school curriculum in the form of environmental studies and at the upper primary level social science is included in our school curriculum in the form of social science curriculum. At the upper primary stage social science curriculum includes three main learning areas i.e. history, geography, and social and political life Social and Political Life- A Component of Social Science at Elementary Stage At the elementary (especially upper primary) stage social science is taught as a formal school subject like language, mathematics, etc. In the upper primary stage the social science curriculum includes three main learning areas i.e. history, geography, and social and political life. As upper primary stage generally covers from class VI to VIII, all these learning areas i.e. history, geography and social and political life of social science curriculum spread across class VI to VIII. At the upper primary level, social science curriculum has been prepared in an integrated fashion emphasizing on relationship across the component subjects and different grades. In other words, it means, social science curriculum at the upper primary stage has been integrated across the subject areas (i.e. history, geography, and social and political life) and across the grades (from class VI to VIII). Learning history at upper primary stage: Learning history acquaints learners with the developments in different parts of India and in different parts of the world in relation to the time. Learning of geography at upper primary stage: Learning of geography acquaints learners with the issues of nature, environment, resources, materials etc. in relation to space (starting from local to global level). Learning of social and political life at upper primary stage: At upper primary stage social and political life acts as an integrated subject of political science/ economics/ sociology. How social and political life acts as an integrated subject of political/science/ economics/ sociology is given below. 53

4 SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE- AN INTEGRATED SUBJECT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE/ ECONOMICS/ SOCIOLOGY Social and political life (SPL) is a new learning area of social science curriculum at upper primary stage replacing the earlier learning area of Civics. NCF (2005) remarked that, Civics appeared in the Indian school curriculum in the colonial period against the background of increasing disloyalty among Indians towards the Raj. Emphasis on obedience and loyalty were the key features of civics. SPL is based on real life situation, which uses practical situations to teach concepts because it recognizes that children learn best through concrete experiences. It uses materials that draw upon the experimental understanding of familial and social issues that middle school children bring to the classroom. SPL draws its leaning experiences mostly from political science, economics and sociology. Political science makes the child familiar with democratic processes and participation. Economics enable the child to be familiar with economic activities like production, consumption, distribution, exchange etc. Sociology makes the child to be an important member of civic society, removing the barriers of caste, class, religion, etc CONTENTS OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIAL SCIENCE Social and political life of social science curriculum at upper primary stage was previously taught as civics. How social and political life replaced civics is already discussed in above. Let us examine and differentiate between the model course contents as suggested by Ishwar Bhai Patel Committee(1977) and the model course contents as suggested by National Focus Group on Teaching of Social Science (2006). Iswar Bhai Patel Committee (1977) suggested the following model course contents in following way for the area Civics of Social Science curriculum at upper primary stage (i.e. class-vi, VII and VIII),: Civics (Class VI- Civic Life) 1. Development of the Community Scheme, Cooperatives, Community Development. 2. Local Government (Rural): Need, Structure and Functions. 3. Local Government. (Urban): Structure and Functions. 4. District Administration: Law and Order, Civic Amenities. 54 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

5 5. Preservation of Property of the Community: Public property, its preservation, historical monuments. 6. Project Work: Opportunities to develop abilities which are essential for any active citizen in India, Problems. Civics (Class VII- Our or Indian Constitution) 1. Chief Features of our Constitution: Basic Principles, National Governments, State Governments, Rights, Duties, Directive Principles, National Symbols. 2. Law-Making Process: Parliament, State Legislature, How Laws are made? 3. Executing Laws: President, Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, Governor, Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers, Public Services. 4. Interpreting Law: Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts. 5. Project Work. Civics (Class VIII- Independent India- Achievements and Challenges) 1. Our National Goals: Democracy, Socialism and Secularism, International Cooperation. 2. Strengthening our Democracy: Citizenship in a democracy, Literacy in India. 3. Social and Economic Reconstruction: Poverty, Population, Unemployment, Casteism. 4. Five-Year Plans- Achievements and Failures: Agriculture, Industries, Rural Life. 5. Defence of the Country: Armed Forces, Territorial Army, Border Security Force, NCC, ACC, Citizens and Defence. 6. India and the World: Need for cooperation, co-existence, the United Nations. 7. Project Work. National Focus Group on Teaching of Social Sciences (2006) suggested the following model course content for the area Social and Political Life of Social Science curriculum at upper primary level (i.e. class-vi, VII and VIII). Class -VI (Diversity and Interdependence) Unit -1 Diversity Unit -2 Government Unit -3 Local Government 55

6 Unit -4 Making a Living Class - VII (Democracy and Equality) Unit -1 Democracy Unit -2 State Government Unit -3 Understanding media Unit -4 Unpacking Gender Unit -5 Market around Us Class -VIII (Rule of Law and Social Justice) Unit -1 The constitution Unit-2 Parliamentary Government Unit-3 The judiciary Unit-4 Social justice and marginalized Unit-5 Economic presence of the Government Check your progress 1 Question: How Social and Political Life is related with political science, economics and sociology? (Note: Write your answer in the space given below and compare your answer with the model answer given in the end of the unit) APPROACHES ADOPTED BY SOCIAL SCIENTISTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE, ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY It is already discussed earlier that social and political life is an integration of political science, economics and sociology though Political sciences, economics 56 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

7 and sociology are three independent liberal sciences/disciplines having their own approaches to learning and understanding the contents. The contents, nature and scope of all these three subjects differ from one to others in many ways. Therefore, social scientists don t follow the same approaches/methods for understanding all these three subjects; rather, they follow the approaches for understanding these subjects according to their nature. We will discuss the methods/approaches adopted by social scientists in political science, economics and sociology in the following sub-sections APPROACHES ADOPTED BY SOCIAL SCIENTISTS IN UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL SCIENCE. Though the approaches to understand political science are classified differently, but, prominent classification of approaches to understand political science is traditional and modern approaches. has become quite dominant. Traditional approaches emerged from the contributions of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and continued their dominance till the beginning of nineteenth century. Modern approaches started in 15 th -16 th centuries and became dominant in understanding political science in the twentieth century. Some of the common differences between traditional approaches and modern approaches are given below. Traditional approaches Define political science as the study of state and its governmental institutions Concentrates on formal apparatus of politics : government, institutions, constitutions etc. Defines political science as a subjective, theoretical and purpose oriented task More philosophical in nature See political science as non observable and value loaded subject Prescriptive and normative. Aim at the achievement of good society Basically taxonomic and focus on institutions as the main instrument of social change and control Modern approaches Define political science as the study of power and decision making of political behavior See politics as an activity or a process service. Define political science as an objective, scientific and process oriented task More analytic in nature See political science as observable and value free subject Insist on quantitative and inductive approach. Aim at making politics a scientific body of knowledge Focus on extra political factors and conditions which affect the behaviour of political events and institutes. All these above mentioned differences between the traditional approaches and modern approaches aren t always absolute in nature. The relationship between 57

8 traditional approaches and modern approaches is a continuum in many contexts. In many situations there is an interaction between both these two categories of approaches. There are many traditional approaches and modern approaches to understand political science. Here we discuss two important traditional approaches (philosophical approach and legal-institutional approach) and two important modern approaches (behavioural approach and psychological approach) to understand political science. Philosophical approach This approach is generally speculative and normative. Much traditional political philosophy was concerned only with a priori deductions, that is, conclusions reached with little observation. This approach is encyclopedic in nature. Plato s Republic, Hobbes s Leviathan etc. were intended to show an abstract, if not ideal, state of affairs. Many other political philosophers also clarified the concepts of state, justice, law, liberty, democracy, etc., using the thinking process of deductive reasoning. By deductive reasoning these political philosophers reached nonverifiable self evident conclusions about political behaviour, forms of govt. etc. But, advocates of modern scientific approach criticize that these philosophers very often took human nature for granted and rarely made an objective study. Though this political philosophy is criticized by modern thinkers, still it has great relevance in study of politics. The political philosophies of Locke, Aristotle, Chanakya, Plato and others are still relevant even today. Legal-institutional (constitutional) approach Legal institutional (or constitutional) approach is still a pre-dominant approach in contemporary politics, and the roots of this approach go back to the time of Aristotle s description of the constitution of Greek city states. This approach focuses on formal apparatus of politics government, institutions, constitutions and states. According to this approach, a description and analysis of legal rules and conventions governing the operation and relationships between formal institutions, based on the readily accessible official sources and records, will provide valuable insight to make general conclusions about political activity. The functioning of Central and State Governments of India and the constitutional relationships and functioning among them can best be studied through this approach. This approach is criticized as static or lifeless, since it stresses the character of government at one fixed moment and neglects the fact that politics is an activity or a process. This approach fails to study underdeveloped and backward communities which don t have formal institutions and political behaviour. This approach fails to study international politics, since international politics mostly lakhs formal institutions and is characterized by violence. Behavioural approach Behaviouralism as an approach to study the field of political science emerged in 58 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

9 1940s and till today this approach has dominance in the field of political science. While traditional approaches concentrate on events, structures, ideologies, institutions, etc., behaviouralism concentrates on behaviour of individuals and / or relatively small groups as the basic unit of analysis. Robert Dahl clarifies behavioralism as a movement in political science which insists on analyzing (only) the observable behaviours of political actors. This approach summarizes the political behaviour on the basis of empirically verifiable data. Critics of this approach say that human behaviour is not subject to experimental enquiry and the generalization in political science can hardly be attained through degree of accuracy of mathematical equations. Further the critics say that only the overt behaviour can be observed which speaks about the part of a story. It is very difficult to study the covert behaviour which has also contribution to the story itself. Psychological approach Psychological approach became dominant in the field of political science after publication of Graham Wallas s Human Nature in Politics (1908) which laid emphasis on socio-psychological foundation of political science. The supporters of this approach defined political phenomena in terms of psychological forces rather than in terms of forms and structures. This approach claims that, man s political actions aren t totally guided by reasons and rationality rather they are guided to many extents by psychological factors like personality, attitude, motivation, etc. Therefore, many political scientists in their studies of public opinion, voting behavour, etc., consider personality, attitude, interests, self esteem, etc. as the determining factors/variables of research. The critics of this approach say that it is very difficult to study the personality and other psychological traits of political participants because psychology isn t an absolutely empirical science. Besides the above discussed approaches, there are many other approaches like comparative approach, system analysis approach, structural-functional analysis approach Marxian approach etc. which are quite popular in this field of political science to study the political behaviour and political phenomenon METHODS/APPROACHES ADOPTED BY SOCIAL SCIENTISTS UNDERSTANDING ECONOMICS Economics is a body of knowledge which has no clear cut meaning. Since it is hard to define economics in absolute terms, it has been understood /interpreted differently by different economists /social scientists from time to time. The subject economies is in the process of growth and development. Though there are numerous approaches used by economists in understanding economies, but, among them few approaches are quite significant and they are discussed here for your understanding. 59

10 Wealth approach of Adam Smith Adam Smith, the father of economics, defined economics as the science of wealth. In 1776, Adam Smith published a book entitled, An Enquiry in to the Nature and Causes of Wealth of Nation. In this book, Adam Smith emphasized the production and expansion of wealth as the subject matter of economics. According to Adam Smith, economics deals with production, distribution and consumption of wealth and riches. Smith says, economics enquires into the factors that determine the wealth and riches of a country and their growth. Production and expansion of wealth as the subject matter of economics has been stated by Adam Smith; but, the critics of this definition claimed that acquisition of wealth being the motive of human being s, is totally baseless. In a civilized society, human activities are guided by many other motives except acquisition of wealth. Further, critics opined that wealth definition of Adam Smith gave much stress on wealth but not on human welfare. In other words, wealth approach failed to prove human welfare as the main objective of economics. Welfare approach of Alfred Marshall Alfred Marshall, in 1890, published a book entitled, Principles of Economics. In his book Principles of Economics, Marshall conceptualized economics as the science of welfare. Criticizing the wealth definition of Adam Smith, Marshall pointed out that, for economics wealth isn t end in itself but it is only a means to an end; the end being the promotion of human welfare. Marshall says, economics is the study of mankind in the ordinary business of life; it examines that part of individual and social action which is most closely connected with the attainment and with the use of the material requisites of well being. Marshall s definition of economics conveys basically three main points. Firstly, economics is the study of man who remains at the centre of all economic activities. In other words, it studies man s action regarding how he earns wealth and spends it. Secondly, economics is concerned with a particular aspect of man s life i.e. ordinary business of life. Ordinary business of life means how a man gets his living and how he spends it. Like this ordinary business of life, there are many other aspects of man s life-social, political, etc. Thirdly, the primary end of economics is the promotion of material welfare. It needs to be noted that economics isn t concerned with totality of human welfare rather a part of the totality i.e. material welfare (welfare relating to the use of materials means). Marshall laid much emphasis on material welfare as the key concern of economics. Some economists criticize Marshall s approach as vague since he didn t/ couldn t mention the things /activities which are to be included in the ordinary business of life. Marshall s conception of economics is related with material things only. But the critique like Robbins pointed out that acquisition of immaterial things has no place in Marshall s concepts of economics, which also come under the study of 60 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

11 economics. Further Robbins criticized that economics isn t a study of welfare, because, all economic activities can t increase welfare. Harmful things like cigarette, wine, etc. are studied under economics but they can t increase welfare always in the sense that welfare is a relative concept which changes from person to person and situation to situation. Scarcity and choice approach of Lionel Robbins Lionel Robbins approach to study economics is somewhat more refined and precise than the approaches of Adam Smith and Marshall. Robbins brought out a famous book on economics entitled, An Essay on the Nature and Significance of Economics Science in In his book, Robbins defined economics is the science of scarcity and choice. According to Robbins, economics is the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses. The approach of Robbins is based on following principles. 1. Human wants are unlimited 2. Resources are limited/ scare in relation to wants 3. Resources have various alternative uses 4. Whether goods and services would promote welfare or not is not the concern of economics. Economics should study them (goods and services) if they satisfy the human wants 5. Economics deals with how resources of the society should be allocated to satisfy different wants The approach of Robbins is criticized on many grounds. Robbins criticized the welfare definition of Marshall; but, from the careful analysis of definition of Robbins, it is found the idea of welfare is present in the definition of Robbins. Robbins definition implies that allocation of resources has to be made in such a way that maximum satisfaction would be derived. Maximum satisfaction in many cases implies maximum welfare. Further Robbins approach doesn t cover economic growth and development which is considered very important in recent years. Growth approach of Samuelson Modern economist Samuelson puts forth a growth oriented definition on economics. According to him, economics is the study of how people and society end up choosing with or without the use of money, to employ scarce productive resources that would have alternative uses, to produce various commodities, and distribute them for consumption, now or in future, among various persons and groups in society. It analyses the costs and benefits of improving patterns of resources allocations. From this definition, the following characteristics can be drawn. 61

12 1. Samuelson gave importance on the scarcity of productive resources, which have impact on life of the common people. 2. Economics analyses the relative problems connected with the consumption and distribution of various scarce resources. 3. This definition is wider than the Robbins definitions in the sense that it touches both scarcity and growth. 4. It includes both money as well as barter system in the analysis of the problems of man in respect of economic choice METHODS/APPROACHES ADOPTED BY SOCIAL SCIENTISTS IN UNDERSTANDING SOCIOLOGY Sociology is the study of the society. Sociology studies the different aspects of the society i.e. social norms, regulations, processes, values, structures, functions, etc. But, there isn t a single method/approach which is used by the social scientists to study the society; rather, social scientists use numerous methods to study the society. Each method has its own strengths and limitations depending upon the context of studying the society. Here you will learn some of the important methods/ approaches used by the social scientists in understanding sociology. Historical approach The founding fathers of sociology like Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer and Karl Marx vigorously used this method to study the society. In recent times, the sociologist like Hothouse, Westermarck and F. Oppenheimer strongly support this method. Historical method refers to, the study of events, processes and institutions of past societies, for the purpose of finding the origins or antecedents of contemporary social life and thus understanding its nature and working. Historical sociology (sociology based on historical method) studies societies of remote as well as recent past to discover origins of, and find explanations for, our present way of life. Historical approach to study of the society basically follows two forms i.e. (i) historical approach is influenced by biological theory of evolution, and (ii) historical approach influence by economic interpretations. The fist approach concentrates on the issues relating to the origin and development of societies. Comte and Spencer used this approach to study the society. The second approach is basically used by Max Weber in his studies of origin of capitalism, the development of modern bureaucracy and the economic influence of the world religions. Comparative approach Comparative approach uses/applies logical principles on social phenomenon in order to eliminate the factors which are not essential and arrive at the factors which are essential. Comparative approach in the field of sociology studies past or existing societies and social institutions by a process of selection, comparison 62 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

13 and elimination in order to arrive at proper generalization. Comparison is made among contemporary societies which have common historical, political and many other characteristics. In natural science, scientist can establish causal connection by experiment. But in study of social setting, experiment is hardly possible. Hence, social scientists establish causal connections by examining cases in which two or more phenomena are simultaneously present or absent. Thus, comparative method in the field of social science shows how certain social phenomena are frequently associated with each other or frequently occur in a regular order of succession. Durkheim, Max Weber and many other sociologists used this approach more frequently to study the social phenomenon. For example, Durkheim compared the suicide rates of different societies and of different groups within a society, to show that these rates varied inversely with the degree of social solidarity. Functionalist approach Functionalist approach has profound influence on modern sociological theorizing. This method, in fact, is an outcome of the reaction against evolutionary method. In fact, functionalist approach is considered more as an approach of interpretation rather than investigation. Functionalist approach to study society refers to the study of the society/social phenomenon from the point of the functions of the society /social phenomenon (or the elements of the society/ social phenomenon). Functions of a system refer to the activities which are performed by the system (or its elements) in order to achieve healthy maintenance of the system. This approach is based upon the assumption that a system is based upon a number of its constituent parts. Each part of the system is interrelated with other parts of the system. The function of a part of the system is understood in relation to functions of the other parts of the system. In the same way, if society is a system, its constituent parts are religion, economy, politics, etc. When one studies the society from functionalist perspective, he has to understand society in relation to the relative functions of parts of the society like religion, economy, politics, etc. Auguste Comte and Herbert Spence laid the foundation for studying the society from functionalist perspective. Durkheim was the champion in using this method in studying the social phenomenon. The sociologist like Radcliffe Brown and Malinowski highly admired this approach in studying the social phenomenon. Statistical approach Starting from 17 th century, statistical approach has been used in the study of social phenomenon. This approach is used to study the social phenomenon in quantitative and objective ways. The social issues relating to birth and death, divorce, crime, migration, economic condition, public opinion, etc. can nicely be studied through this approach. This approach is in much use in order to disclose relationship among different aspects of social phenomenon. It is true that 63

14 most social data are qualitative, but, still the social scientists are trying their best to make such data quantitative and objective by the meaningful use of the statistical method. Sociologists like Giddings and many others have emphasized the use of this approach in conducting sociological researches. Besides these approaches, there are many other approaches like case study approach, evolutionary approach, etc. which are in much use in studying the social phenomena. Check your progress 2 Question: What are the specific features of the scarcity and choice approach of Robbins to study economics? IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE AS A PART OF SOCIAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM The subject Social Science has been included in our school curriculum in order to make the students aware of the socio-cultural system of the society and to help them face the social reality. It aims at developing certain basic qualities, competencies and values among students, so that they can solve divergent social, cultural, political, and economic and such other problems of the society. This subject helps the students to be effective members of the democratic society. At the upper primary level, the social science curriculum includes three teaching learning areas, namely, history, geography and social and political life. Now you will learn the importance of social and political life as a part of social science curriculum SIGNIFICANCE OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE AS THE PART OF SOCIAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM. Earlier you have already learnt that the area social and political life replaced 64 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

15 the area civics in social science curriculum. Now we will discuss the significance of social and political life as the part of social science curriculum. Social and political life constitutes a significant aspect of social science curriculum like history and geography. While history has been included in social science curriculum in order to make the children aware their rich past at different points of time, geography has been included in social science curriculum in order to make the children aware of physical, environmental and socio-cultural features of their surroundings, social and political life has been included in social science curriculum in order to make the children aware of various aspects of their social, political and economic life. At the upper primary level, the learning of social and political life is generally concerned with these objectives: To promote social, political and economic values among the learners To develop the values of patriotism, co-operation and tolerance among the learners To make the learners active participants of society To help the learners solve different controversial socio-political and economic issues To inculcate the democratic and constitutional values in the learners To make the learners familiar with the social, political and economic institutions To promote the values of peace and understanding among the learners Implication of NCF (2005) on Social Science curriculum at upper primary level: At the upper primary stage, social studies will draw its content from history, geography, political science and economics. History will take into account developments in different parts of India, with sections on events or developments in other parts of the world. Geography can help develop a balanced perspective related to issues concerning the environment, resources and development at different levels, from local to global. In Political Science, students will be introduced to the formation and functioning of governments at local, state and central levels and the democratic process of participation. The economics component will enable students to observe economic institutions like the family, the market and the state. There will also be a section that will indicate a multidisciplinary approach to these themes. 65

16 National Focus Group on Teaching of Social Sciences (2006) states the Rationale And Objectives of Social and Political Life in this way: Rationale At the elementary stage, the idea is to introduce students to various aspects of political, social and economic life. This will be done through a preliminary focus on certain key concepts, knowledge of which is essential to understand the functioning of Indian democracy. These concepts will be explained using imaginary narratives that allow children to draw connections between these and their everyday experiences. There will be no attempt made at this level to cover all aspects of India s democratic structure, but rather the effort is more to provide an overview with which the child learns to critically engage by constructing herself as an interested citizen of a vibrant and ongoing democratic process. The focus on the real-life functioning of institutions and ideals is to enable the child to grasp the deep interconnectedness between the political and social aspects of her everyday life, as well as the impact of these two in the realm of economic decision-making Objectives To enable students to make connections between their everyday lives and the issues discussed in the textbook; To have students imbibe the ideals of the Indian Construction; To have children gain a real sense of the workings of Indian democracy; its institutions and processes; To enable students to grasp the interconnectedness between political, social and economic issues; To have them recognize the gendered nature of all of the issues raised; To have them develop skills to critically analyze and interpret political, social and economic developments from the point of view of the marginalized; To have them recognize the ways in which politics affects their daily lives PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES FOR LEARNING SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE ASPECT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM. Basically the learning of social and political life requires an interactive and experimental pedagogic situation. The learning must be related with the real life situations of the learners. The cultural and social contexts of the learner must be 66 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

17 given high priority in whole teaching learning process of social and political life. The pedagogy used for learning of this area must facilitate the creativity, critical understanding, and problem solving ability of the learners. The pedagogy of this area must follow the learning by playing, learning by enjoying and learning by doing. The pedagogy must be learner oriented by keeping the learner at the central place of teaching learning. Just you remark below that how the learning of social and political life follows an activity oriented teaching learning pedagogy. ACTIVITY-1 (ACTIVITY BASED LEARNING ON GOOD SOCIAL HABITS) This is a classroom based activity. The purpose of this activity is to develop good social habits among learners and eradicate bad social habits among them. The details of the activity are given under the following headings/points. (a) Activity Profile Class Learning Area Content of Learning : VI level : Social and Political Life area of Social Science Curriculum : Good social habits Main learning objective : Developing good social habits among learners and eradicating bad social habits among them. Materials required : Some pictures relating to good social habits and bad social habits Strategy : Putting right (Π) or cross (x) against appropriate pictures Mode : Individualized 67

18 (b) Activity Followed In this activity, the teacher will guide the learners in this way: Dear learners. A number of pictures are given in the above box. All such pictures characterize some social habits performed by the individuals in the society. Choose the appropriate pictures which show the good social habits and put tick mark (Π) in right side of those pictures, and put cross mark (x) in the right side of those pictures which are related to bad social habits. (c) Activity based Learning Assignments These learning assignments are for the learners. For performing these learning assignments the teacher will guide the learners in the following way: Below is given a number of tasks for you (learners), which are very interesting. Do complete the tasks and submit them for discussion and analysis. 1. Prepare a small story and title the story as Good social habits 2. Write an essay on Evil effects of bad social habits. 3. Prepare some posters on good social habits. 4. Enlist the bad social habits practiced in your school premise and report them to your class teacher Check your progress 3 Question: What should be the pedagogical principles of learning of social and political life aspect of social science curriculum? DEVELOPING LESSON PLAN FOR LEARNING OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE ASPECT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM A lesson plan in the area of social and political life of social science curriculum is presented here for your learning and discussion. 68 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

19 This lesson plan is prepared for teaching Diversity and unity in India at class VI level. This plan is done following the constructivist approach to teaching learning. This plan expects the teacher to act as the guide of the whole learning process of the learners. The detail outline of the plan is given under the following headings. (a) Context of the lesson Class : Class VI level Learning Area : Social and Political Life area of Social Science Curriculum Topic : Diversity and unity in India Time : 1 period Approach to Learning : Constructivist approach (b) Learning objectives of the Lesson After learning this topic, you (learners) would be able to- identify different types of diversities (for example, religious diversity, caste diversity, class diversity etc.) prevailing in India; explain the nature and causes of all such diversities; justify how diversity of India acts as the basis of unity among Indians; find out the location of diversity features in Indian socio-cultural map; and prepare projects/plans relating to unity in diversity in India context; (c) Learning procedure After entering the class, the teacher will ensure whether the classroom arrangement is done properly or not. At first the teacher will maintain proper discipline in the class and then s/he will follow some motivational techniques to motivate the learners to the teaching learning process. The present class will basically follow constructionist approach to teaching-learning. The details of transactional procedures that the teacher would follow for transacting this lesson to the learners are given under the following headings. (d) Introduction to the topic For motivating the learners to the present learning task, the teacher will show some pictures (given in the box-1) which signify different religions and ask the following questions relating to the pictures. 69

20 Teacher s activities Can you differentiate among these pictures? How these pictures differ among themselves (Basis of differentiation)? Are these pictures related with single religion? Whether all these religions are found in India? Learner s Activities (Expected) Yes. Religion is the basis of differentiation. No. They are related to many religions Yes. (e) Announcement of the topic After having the above discussion with the learners, the teacher will say religious diversity is a main feature of India; and like this whether any other such diversity is found in India or not, let us have discussion. (f) Presentation At this stage, the teacher will follow different approaches/techniques in order to have discussion with learners regarding diversity and unity features of Indian sub-continent. Such approaches/techniques are discussed in detail under following two sections (Section-A & Section-B). 70 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

21 Section-A (Constructing Learning in Diversity context) Box-2: Diversity Context-1 Teacher s activities Look at these four scenarios and tell how these four scenarios are different from each other. Write an essay with proper elaboration, how India experiences these differences in different times and at different places. Learner s Activities (Expected) The learners will find out the differences from their own experiences. The learners will write the essay in this regard as per their experiences. The teacher will discuss the essays written by learners. And, a thorough discussion will be made among teacher and learners regarding how Indians experience the diversity in their lifestyles. 71

22 Box-3: Diversity Context-2 Teacher s activities In box-3, some pictures are given. Out of all pictures, some are related to rural area and some are related to urban area. Differentiate among them in regard to their relation to urban area and rural area. Can you find out other differences we find between rural India and urban India? Constructive learning interactions (In corroboration to above two diversity contexts) The learners will construct their learning regarding diversity (whatever they experienced in relation to the above two diversity contexts) in the following way. Teacher s activities What other types of differences do we find in India? Make a list of such differences. What are the different castes and existing in our Country? Learner s Activities (Expected) The learners will differentiate looking at the pictures. The learners will find out the other differences. Learner s Activities (Expected) Learners will tell about difference in caste, class, regional, language, culture, food habit, clothes, festivals, animals, birds, etc. Each learner will critically analyze it and provide the answer. 72 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

23 Give your opinion on whether Casteism is a boon or a curse? Many times we find class struggle, language struggle, regional struggle etc. among the Indian people. Why such struggles are happening in our country and what are the evil effects of these struggles? India is very big and diverse country. In your view Indian diversity is a boon or a curse for Indian people? The learners will critically analyze the causes and effects of these struggles and share/ interact their views with each other. The learners will debate on the issues statement and present their views in the class Section-B (Constructing Learning in Unity context) Unity Context-1 73

24 Teacher s activities Look at this picture. What do you see in this picture? How good the picture to see? Do you find any unity feature of India from this picture? Learner s Activities (Expected) The learners in their answers will justify how far India is able to maintain unity in spite of all the differences. Box-4: Unity Context-2 Teacher s activities Look at the pictures in box Box-4. Do you feel India is great for its cultural differences? From above pictures, summarize how India maintains a cultural unity from its differences. Yes Learner s Activities (Expected) The learners will justify how India maintains cultural unity. 74 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

25 Constructive learning interactions (In relation to above two unity contexts) The learners will construct their learning about unity in India from its diversities in relation to the above two unity contexts. Teacher s activities The teacher shows a ten rupee note and describes how India s features of diversity and unity are depicted in it. World recognizes India for its linguistic, religious, and cultural unity- Give comment on this. How do you recognize Indian metropolitan cities as the symbols of unity in diversity Prepare a list of songs, pledges India etc. which reflect unity in diversity in India. Learner s Activities (Expected) Learners will look at the note and infer features of diversity and unity from such note. Learners will provide their comment on the basis of their experiences. Learners will find out the characteristics of unity in metropolitan cities. Learners may collect songs, pledges etc. which reflect unity in diversity in India. For example: Sare jahan se achha.. (g) Evaluation The following tasks are for you (learners). Complete these tasks. 1. List the three major festivals, which are celebrated in your state. Name the religious and cultural groups, which take part in each of these three festivals. 2. During the British Raj in India, different groups of people in India demonstrated the features of unity and made India free from the British hand Give your comment on it. 3. Prepare a project on the following theme. Go to your locality /village. Find out the people belonging to the different cultural, caste and religious groups who people live there. Find out the differences existing among them. Suggest some methods for achieving unity among them. 4. In the column-a, the name of four national leaders are given. The column- B contains the birth places of those leaders. Match the leaders from column-a with their birth places from column-b with arrow mark ( ). 75

26 Column A Column B Subhas Bose Uttar Pradesh Jawahar Lal Nehru Odisha Mahatma Gandhi Gujarat Bal Gangadhar Tilak Maharashtra Assam Karnataka 5. In the question no.-4 the name of four national leaders are given. Illustrate how they had sacrificed themselves for the unity of our country. Check your progress 4 Question: What are the different types of diversities found in India? LET US SUM UP In this unit, discussions have been made regarding social and political life as an integrated subject of political science/ economics/ sociology. This unit mainly focused on three points i.e. contents of social and political life in social science at elementary stage; methods/approaches adopted by social scientists in political science, economics and sociology; and importance of social and political life as a part of social science curriculum. In the last part of this unit, a lesson plan relating to social and political life aspect of social science curriculum has been presented. 5.7 GLOSSARY/ABBREVIATION Social and Political Life (SPL): Social and Political Life is a constituent part/ component of social science curriculum at upper primary level. The other constituent parts/component of social science curriculum at upper primary level are History and Geography. 76 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed)

27 Raj: Raj here refers to the British Raj or administration. Civics: Civics was earlier an area of social science curriculum at upper primary level. In present social science curriculum at upper primary level, the area civics is replaced by the area social and political life. 5.8 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Check Your Progress -1 : Social and political life draws its learning experiences mostly from political science, economics and sociology. Political science makes the child familiar with democratic processes and participation. Economics enable the child to be familiar with economic activities like production, consumption, distribution, exchange, etc. Sociology makes the child to be an important member of civic society, removing the barriers of caste, class, religion, etc. Check Your Progress -2 : Robbins defined economics as the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means, which have alternative uses. The specific features of the scarcity and choice approach to study economy of Robbins are as follows: 1. Human wants are unlimited 2. Resources are limited/ scare in relation to wants 3. Resources have various alternative uses 4. Whether goods and services would promote welfare or not is not the concern of economics. Economics should study them (goods and services) if they satisfy the human wants 5. Economics deals with how resources of the society should be allocated to satisfy the different wants Check Your Progress -3 : The learning of social and political life aspect of social science curriculum basically requires an interactive and experimental pedagogic situation. The learning must be related with the real life situations of the learners. The cultural and social contexts of the learner must be given high priority in the whole teaching learning process of social and political life. The pedagogy used for learning of this area must facilitate the creativity, critical understanding, and authentic problem solving ability of the learners. The pedagogy of teaching learning of this subject must follow the learning by playing, learning by enjoying and learning by doing. Check Your Progress -4 : 77